Open Air Museums

I'm researching open air museums and I was a little surprised at the ticket costs for Meiji Mura - it's at least twice as expensive as every other one I checked (Y 1600).

Considering I have to add the train and bus fees, and that I'd be visiting for the afternoon only, is it really worth it? How does it compare to other open air museums?

It is one of the largest open air museums in all of Japan. Almost like a theme park.

It is a very unique open air museum in that it specializes in the Meiji Period architecture. If you are interested in that era of Japanese history (when the country was Westernized), it is a highly recommended destination.

If not so much, then I recommend to consider visiting alternative destinations.

Uji, thanks for the reply. I am interested in the Meiji period, yes. However it is precisely the description of the place as a 'theme park' that has given me doubts, because it makes me think that
1)it might feel artificial, like many theme parks do;
2)it might be too much for the time I have avaiable, since, as I said, I'd only have an afternoon to visit it.

I was there in March '12 and I loved it. Even though it was a cloudy and somewhat foggy day and I had a cold which I caught on the flight over to Japan, it was a pleasure to see the Frank Lloyd Wright vestibule from the old Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. It's very spread out and quite hilly at places, but on a nice day, it must be gorgeous with the lake next to it. It's mostly in Japanese, but I had a friend of mine who has lived there for a long time drive me there from Nagoya station and interpreted for me when we visited classic homes/shops in the museum. There was one I particularly liked-it was a home built atop a shop that once sold oil for lamps, but with the advent of electricity had to adapt and sell other wares. The guide who walked us through the numerous levels of the building explained in detail the inner workings of the home and how life was back then.

I never really felt as if it were an amusement park, though I did see a few things for kids to do. There's a post office you can mail cards from which is unique, as it's from the period and the stamp is unique to the place, etc. I didn't make it to the end, which can be a 4-5 mile walk from beginning to end and back, if not more! I was so sick that day.

Was it worth the 1600yen? I think so. Especially if you like architecture.

it might feel artificial, like many theme parks do;

No, all the buildings are authentic with original building material. The actual buildings were moved there. In that respect it is very different from the Disney type of theme parks where everything is artificial.

it might be too much for the time I have avaiable, since, as I said, I'd only have an afternoon to visit it.

Travelers who like a fast pace of travel can enjoy the park in 2-3 hours without seeing everything. But if you like a fast pace, I recommend 4+ hours.